Together
by WarriorsFan123
Summary: Barriss and Luminara have been together for a while, but Barriss still isn't quite warming up to her master who just wants her to feel loved. In an attempt to show that that's what she intends, Luminara offers Barriss a horse to call her own. But things don't quite go as planned. Friendship/Family and somewhat Humor. No romance. If you don't like horses, this story is not for you.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is sort of a continuation of my one-shot Shy Girl. I've always loved Barriss, and just _had_ to do more. So, I hope you guys like it.**

 **I will update soon, weather people like it or not, because I LOVE BARRISS! *looks around* ...What?**

* * *

"Ah, so this is your padawan." Obi-wan smiled as he looked at Barriss. She looked down shyly and backed behind her master a little ways. Both masters laughed fondly as they watched her reaction.

"Say 'hi', Barriss." Luminara said through quiet laughter. Barriss looked up at her, her shockingly blue eyes wide with disbelief and terror at the request.

"Go on." She ordered, giving her padawan a gentle push forward. Barriss's reaction was instant. She stepped back to her original position, pressing bodily against her master and burying her face in her side. The two adults laughed yet again.

Luminara, done trying to force Barriss to speak, put an arm on her apprentice, patting the back of her head.

"I'm sorry." Luminara spoke to Obi-wan. "She's _painfully_ shy."

"So I see." He chuckled. Then, turning to Barriss, "I don't want to hurt you, I only want to be your friend."

Barriss hardly lifted her head, just enough to peek at him. He reached his hand out, making a friendly gesture. The moment he did, her head shot back to it's 'hiding place', which happened to be her master's side. Luminara smiled fondly at her before looking back up at Obi-wan.

"I wanted to talk to you about this weekend. Barriss, why don't you run along while we talk."

Barriss looked all too happy to leave. As she took off running, Luminara spoke.

"So, as you know, Barriss is turning fourteen this week. I've only had her for about three months, and we aren't very close yet."

"'Not very close yet?' She ran to you for cover." He said incredulously.

"Well, as much I adore the fact that she depends on me to hide her from people, we still aren't as close as I'd like us to be. And I think that if I did something for her for her birthday, maybe it would make her a little less shy towards me.

"She's still shy towards you and you've had her for three months?"

"We're doing better. But I still can't make eye contact, get her to talk loud enough for me to hear or ask her her opinion."

"The shy ones take longer I guess." He shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess. So, do you think you could help me do something special?"

"Of course. What does she like?"

"Well I doubt she wants a party."

"No kidding." He chuckled.

"She really likes horses."

"That's good. Maybe we could do a trail ride."

"I was thinking something…bigger. It _is_ her big one four after all."

"What are you suggesting?" The Jedi asked, stroking his beard.

"Well, I'd like to get her…her _own_ horse."

"Her own horse? Well, that _is_ big. Where do you plan to get this horse."

"That's where you come in." Luminara explained.

"You want me to buy her a horse?" He said sarcastically.

"No. I want you to find a ranch that sells horses. Good ones. I'm counting on you."

"Alright, I can do that. Maybe it will even make her like me."

"Don't get your hopes up. She's still scared of _me_."

"Aha, right. Well, we'll talk later."

Luminara turned and made her way down the temple hall. She scanned for Barriss, who couldn't have gone far. She had barely opened her mouth to call to her when the child came running around the corner and slammed purposely into her…hiding. Two teenage boys came around the corner shortly after with devious smiles on their faces. When they saw Luminara, they left reluctantly, remaining silent.

"What'd they do Barriss?"

"They were throwing paper at me…" She said, voice barely even a whisper as she unburied her face from Luminara's body and looked up at her, eyes wide with terror.

Luminara chuckled at the incredible sensitivity of the child standing in front of her. "I see. Were they making fun of you as well."

Looking hesitant, she nodded.

"Oh, Barriss." She chuckled. "Come on."

* * *

"Thanks for letting me come with you, Luma'." Vallary said giddily as she, Luminara and Barriss all walked on a gravel path. Barriss rarely took her eyes off the ground. She occasionally looked up to see her whereabouts or glance at the two older women as they chatted with each other.

Luminara felt a tug on her robe and looked down to see Barriss looking up at her, nervousness plastered on her face. Luminara wanted to laugh at her Palawan's strange yet sweet uneasiness when it came to asking questions… Or speaking in general. But, she forced her self to remain serious -but kind and welcoming- to keep Barriss from cowering yet again from social interaction.

"Yes, Barriss, what is it?"

The girl answered by mumbling something so fast and quiet that she simply could not understand her.

"What?"

She repeated herself a little louder, but it wasn't much difference.

"You've gotta' enunciate your words." Vallary told her, her friendly smile never leaving her face.

"Ho-How long until-until we get there…" She stuttered, trailing off at the end.

"We're almost there." Vallary answered. "And I bet you are really going to like it."

Barriss looked away. Not down, just away. That was good, they were making progress.

After a few minutes more walking, they came across a barn, horse boxes, and paddocks, a horse in almost every one. Barriss looked around, studying each horse with immense curiosity and admiration.

"Do you like them?" Vallary asked.

Barriss nodded, not looking away from the animals she was so intently interested in.

"Well, soon one of them will be yours." Luminara told her. Barriss whipped around to face her, her facial expressions shocked and disbelieving.

"No joke." Vallary promised.

Her jaw dropped for a moment, before she looked back at the horses and asked softly, "Which one?"

"Depends." A human girl said walking up to them. "You have been given the opportunity to work here. You can get to know the horses during that time. Then, once you know all their personalities, you can choose an available one for yourself."

"Hello, Katy. This is my Padawan, Barriss Offee. Barriss, this is Katy Shcout, owner of this ranch." Luminara introduced.

"And I'm Vallary. I'm bilingual."

"Why does _she_ need to know that? That was so random." Luminara muttered.

"Why should she _not_ know it?"

"Because she- Oh, never mind. Uh, so Barriss, I'll leave you here with Katy and you can decide a working schedual, meet the horses, and I'll pick you up at- oof!" She cut off as Barriss slammed into her, clutching her robes with a death grip.

"No, don't go! Don't leave me alone with people I don't know!" She whimpered desperately, but somehow keeping her voice lower than the typical talking volume of a…less timid citizen.

"Oh, Barriss, you'll be fine. You love horses and Katy isn't going to hurt you. She teaches _Ki_ _ndergarteners_ how to ride, she's very kind."

"No." She protested, snuggling comfortably into her body as though she wasn't going to leave ever again. Luminara sighed in exasperation when Vallary jumped in.

"Barriss, you want your own horse, right?"

"…Right." She whispered.

"And you want to work here, right?"

"Right."

"But you feel too shy around new people… Right?" She said, more sober now.

"…Uh… Right." Barriss mumbled, sounding defeated.

"Well don't worry about that, okay?" She said, going back to her smile. "A lot of girls are shy around new people. But if you get to know her, she won't be a 'new person' anymore, she'll be someone you know."

Barriss pursed her lips in thought.

"Right?"

"…Right." Barriss answered, sounding a little more confident.

"Okay, then! Luminara and I will leave you to it, and be back at five. Okay?"

"Okay." Barriss agreed discreetly, backing away from her master to follow Katy.

"Alright. Bye, Barriss." Luminara waved as they turned to leave. "I don't know how you're so good with kids, Vallary."

"Ah, it's a gift." She said mystically.

* * *

 **Done! Please review, and don't say anything complaining about the horses or Barriss's shy personality because I already decided that I want horses in the story, and Barriss is _supposed_ to be shy. Please review, and don't say anything mean.**

 **Barriss stories don't seem to get a lot of attention, so please review so I don't feel discouraged.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay! I'm back with the next chapter already! I'm feeling good about this one. I hope you like it, and please review at the end! It makes me so happy!**

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Barriss followed Katy to the stables.

"So, I heard you turned fourteen yesterday." Katy said in a friendly voice.

"Uh… Y-Yeah…" She stuttered. No matter how hard she tried to muster up the strength to talk clearly and loudly, she just couldn't do it. The thought of even trying was terrifying.

"So, these are the horses. I'll introduce you as we go. This is Yankee," she gestured to a light bay stallion. All the names were engraved in plaques on their stall doors. "This is Daydream, and her foal, Hope."

Barriss looked in the stall to see a silver horse with a white dappled coat, and her foal was a blue roan. She was very fond of the gray-ish colors that these two horses happened to have. The next three horses introduced were all browns of slightly different shades and one of them had stockings, the other a single sock on the hind-left leg, and the third had socks on all her legs except the hind-right.

"This is Zipper, he's very sweet. This pretty mare is Lilly, and this is Mitsy. Mitsy can be a little fussy though, so be careful around her." Katy warned.

Barriss began to feel more comfortable as she spent time around the horses. They were so big and calm. It always had an effect on her. It was part of why she loved them.

"This is Mr. Murry." She said, reaching out her hand to touch the black stallion. He was so big, wide and muscular. He almost looked like a draft horse. But she knew her horses well, and he wasn't a draft horse.

"The rest of the horses here have owners, but I'll still show them to you."

She gave her a tour of the ranch, showing Barriss all the meadows, riding courses, horses, and supply rooms. By the time they were through, Barriss felt almost completely free to say anything she wanted.

"So where will I work?" She asked, still a little quiet, but nowhere _near_ where she was before.

"Well, since you've worked with horses before, I'm sure you know what you're doing?"

"Y-Yes. I'm v-very ex…experienced."

"Hmm, _very_ experienced, huh?" She spoke almost as though she were speaking to a six-year-old. "Well it looks like we've got a genuine horse lover here. How about for now, I put you in charge of feeding and exercising the horses. And you can ride them too of course."

"…Could I…m-maybe ride…one…now…"

"Of course. Who do you want to ride?"

Barriss shrugged. She didn't know the personality of any of these horses. She had no idea which one she should ride.

"How I put you on Hip Hop? He's one of our schooling horses, so he's had a lot of kids on his back." Katy suggested.

Barriss shrugged again and followed Katy to Hip Hop's stable.

"Would you like to take it from here?" Katy offered. Barriss knew what she was doing, but she was afraid of what people might say about her. She didn't want to mess up somehow and be made fun of. So, she took a step backwards, a gesture saying she didn't want to do it.

"Oh, come on."

Barriss shook her head and planted her feet on the ground.

"You can do it. I won't judge you."

Barriss looked at her for a minute before she opened the stall and put Hip Hop's halter on. As she led him to the tack room, she completely forgot that Katy was even there. Everything came naturally as she put the tack on Hip Hop. With nimble, confident fingers, she put his saddle on and tightened the girth just where it needed to be. She put his bridle on him and took the reins to lead him out.

As the girl turned around, she remembered Katy was there and her gaze shot to the ground once again. Katy handed her a helmet. Barriss wasn't in riding cloths, but the helmet was all she really needed. Boots would be easier, but the high-tops she was in would work fine for an easy riding session.

Barriss -following Katy- led Hip Hop to a show-jumping course. Katy set up seven hurdles. They weren't very high, but maybe Hip Hop wasn't a good jumper. Katy would know if that was so.

Barriss automatically, using just muscle memory, put one foot in the stirrup, and swung her leg over as she pulled herself onto his back. It was all just second nature, but Katy seemed impressed in how confident she was.

The teen started him forward in a trot to get used to his gait, still slightly aware of Katy's eyes on her. His trot was a little bumpy. But once she moved him into a canter, it was a little better. His canter was fairly smooth and his responses to her rein and leg aids were quick and fairly accurate.

After a few minutes of simply adjusting to his gait, she turned him towards the first cavalletti. His land was a bit difficult, but the rest was smooth.

"Good boy." She patted him. Jumping must be hard for him, because the higher the jump, the more difficult it was to stay on him when he landed.

She turned him to the final cavalletti and jumped over, praising him right after.

"Good job, Barriss." Katy praised as Barriss slowed to a stop in front of her. "That was a very good ride. You've clearly had a lot of practice. Would you like to try some dressage? He's more skilled in that than he is in jumping."

"Okay."

"How advanced are you?"

"I'm pretty good. I can do almost every thing except for school jumps."

"I don't think Hip Hop can do school jumps anyway." Katy laughed as she led Barriss -still mounted on Hip Hop- to the dressage arena. He wasn't wearing a snaffle bit or the proper saddle, so they _did_ have to go to the tack room and put them on him. But other than that, there were no delays.

"So, instead of doing a course, I thought I could give you commands, and you do the move."

"Alright." Barriss nodded as she entered the arena. She started with a halt and salute like every rider was meant to do. Then, she brought him into a trot and awaited the commands that Katy would give.

"Canter."

Barriss brought Hip Hop into a canter. His canter was so smooth that it hardly took any effort to stay on him.

"Half-pass."

The teen was shocked. Could this really be the same horse she was jumping with? His-half pass was beautiful!

"Leg-yield." She ordered. Barriss used her aids and guided him into the leg-yield.

"Good. Extended trot."

Hip Hop's extended trot was better than his regular trot. Barriss went back into a canter and looped around as she waited for the next command.

"Change of lead."

Performed.

"Okay, one last one. A harder one. Piaffe."

Barriss aided him. It wasn't very good. Clearly, neither _her_ , _nor_ Hip Hop were very good.

"Okay, go ahead and finish off." Katy instructed .

The teen pulled her horse to a stop so she could do the halt and salute before she trotted out of the arena.

"You were right." Barriss said, looking down at the older woman. "He is definitely trained very strictly in dressage."

"Yes he is. He's a good boy. It's actually a bit of a problem. Sometimes during show jumping or cross country, he thinks you're giving him a command. But maybe you could help him with that since you'll be here quite often."

"Yeah, I could do that. If he's a schooling horse he definitely needs to be accurate… How often _will_ I be here?"

"Well, I was thinking maybe you could do the evening feeding and all forms of exercise whenever you feel like it."

"Okay… can I come early to ride?"

"You can come as early as you want! I'm usually up by six to feed and groom. I prefer riding in the evening, but if you like early morning rides, you go for it!"

"Okay! So I'll be back tomorrow, then?"

"Every day. You can come every day." Katy smiled.

"Really? O-Okay." Barriss nodded, getting excited. "Where can I ride? _Who_ can I ride?"

"You can ride as far out as you want. Go to the tops of the mountains if you feel like it! Just don't go on any other rancher's property. And you can ride any of my horses, and most of the owned ones. I'll put a pink marker on the stalls of the ones you can ride, okay?"

"Alright! This is so great! I've never had so much freedom before!"

"Where do you usually ride?" The brunette asked, cocking her head slightly.

"The Oak River academy. We actually have a competition coming up in about a month. I've been practicing really hard for that."

" _Really_? I could help you work on your skills if you want."

"That's okay. I already have a coach."

"That's fine. I wouldn't want to confuse you. Oh, Will, come here!" Katy called to a blonde haired boy who was about Barriss's age. She was actually fairly familiar with him. He was a Jedi at the Coruscant temple and a very talented rider. She never really talked to him, but she knew who he was.

"Will, this is Barriss. She's going to start working here now. Barriss, this is Will. He's been riding here for almost two years now." Katy introduced.

"Ah, yes. I know you from the temple, right? You're the spoiled rich girl."

Barriss felt her shyness rush back suddenly and violently. She almost fell off her mount at Will's taunting and the fact that she did _not_ want to talk to someone she hardly knew.

"I- Uh, th- w…"

Katy, seeing Barriss's reaction, quickly jumped in. "Oh, so you two know each other already. That's interesting. Now you'll be seeing a lot more of each other since you'll both be here."

Barriss looked down nervously, her heart pounding a tattoo in her chest and her cheeks growing hotter by the second.

"Okay." Katy said with a loud clap. "Why don't you go groom Melody, Will, and Barriss, you can take off Hip Hop's tack and give him his evening feed."

"Yeah." Will muttered, walking towards the barn.

Katy turned to Barriss, concern plastered all over her face. "You alright?"

"Y-Yeah…"

"Okay… Off you go then."

Silently, Barriss nudged Hip Hop towards the tack room and took off his saddle and bridle before making her way to the stalls. She threw a flake of hay in his trough and gave him some mash. It felt good to be alone. Just her and the horses.

"Good boy, Hip Hop. Good." She praised, petting him, one arm draped over his neck as he chewed on his food. "You were a very good boy today. We've gotta' work on your piaffe though."

He nickered and turned his head a fraction to look at her.

"And your jumping could use some work too, huh?"

The light bay horse stared at her for a moment before dipping his head back down to grab more hay. Barriss giggled and scratched his shoulder blades. He let out a huff and lifted his head a little.

Barriss checked her phone and seeing as it was almost five, kissed Hip Hop on the neck and left his stall.

"Alright you guys. I'll be back tomorrow real early, and one of you is going to go riding. So, be ready. It's gonna be fun."

Some of the horses turned their ears as they listened, most of them looking up.

"Okay, bye. See you all tomorrow." She waved.

As the girl ran out of the barn, she walked up to Katy who was sitting in the tack room polishing a saddle.

"Hi, Barriss." She smiled, looking up. "Your master will be here soon."

"I know… Hey, uh, thanks for giving me the opportunity to work here."

"You're welcome. Honestly, I'm glad you warmed up to it so fast. Your master says you're really shy. But you seem to like me and the horses."

"Yeah. I'm really comfortable here."

"I can tell. Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"You as well." Barriss dipped her head and turned to leave.

 _Oh_ yeah _I'll be back tomorrow!_

Barriss walked down the trail to meet her master half-way. She wasn't going to say much about her day. Just that she was happy to work there. It was true though. She truly was happy to be here.

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 **Okay, all done! Please leave me a review! And I'll see you again soon!**


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